Availability of Medicare Data for Performance Measurement

CDT submits these comments in response to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Serviceʼs (CMSʼ) June 8, 2011, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the Availability of Medicare Data for Performance Measurement required by Section 10332 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Reform of the U.S. health care system depends on robust, accurate measurement and public reporting of system performance, both in terms of cost and quality. CDT supports CMSʼ effort to release Medicare claims data to systematically measure the performance of providers and suppliers. However, it is vital that this information only be accessed, used and disclosed in a responsible manner that is protective of patient privacy and security.